Wednesday, August 22, 2018

England name girls’ team for U16 international

Four in-form teenagers will represent England in the annual U16 international against Switzerland at Pannal Golf Club, Yorkshire, on Tuesday, August 28.The Northumberland pair of Rosie Belsham and Jess Baker make up the team with Surrey’s Rafiah Banday and France-based Ellie Gower.The match is the curtain-raiser to the North of England U16 championship, which will be played at Pannal from Wednesday to Friday, 29-31 August. Last year England beat Switzerland 5-1.Rosie Belsham, 16, (Whitley Bay) has had a string of top tens, including second place in the Scottish girls’ championship. She has represented England in The R&A’s Junior Open and in the European Young Masters.

Jess Baker, 16, (Gosforth Park Ladies), Rafiah Banday, 14, (Royal Mid Surrey) and Ellie Gower, 16, (Chateaux des Vigier) were in a three-way tie for second place in the English U16 girls’ open. At the start of the season, Banday won the Midlands U16 girls’ title, and like Baker and Gower, has achieved consistently high finishes.